OpenAI moves into media with TBPN acquisition
OpenAI has acquired TBPN, a founder-oriented technology talk show, marking the company's first purchase of a media property. The show, which began streaming in 2025 and is hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays, covers technology news and features interviews with senior industry figures. The Wall Street Journal broke the news on Thursday.
The acquisition places TBPN inside OpenAI's strategy organisation. Fidji Simo, OpenAI's chief executive of AGI Deployment, framed the rationale in terms of narrative: the company views the show as a platform for what she described as constructive conversation about the changes artificial intelligence creates in society.
The show remains small by broadcast standards, with 58,000 YouTube subscribers, but its commercial trajectory is notable. TBPN generated approximately $5 million in advertising revenue in 2025 and is on track to exceed $30 million in 2026, according to the Wall Street Journal. Sponsors have included fintech firms Ramp and Plaid, Google's Gemini division, and the New York Stock Exchange.
Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, has appeared on TBPN multiple times and wrote in a post on X that he expects the show to retain its critical stance toward the industry, including toward OpenAI itself. Coogan and Hays will continue to select their own guests.
The timing is pointed. The acquisition follows OpenAI's closure of a $122 billion funding round and arrives as the company faces persistent public scrutiny over its corporate restructuring, its relationships with investors, and the broader societal implications of its technology. Owning a well-regarded industry show whose hosts explicitly value editorial independence gives OpenAI proximity to a credible forum without, at least formally, controlling its output.
Host Jordi Hays said in a statement that the move represents a shift from commentary to participation in how artificial intelligence is distributed and understood, adding that OpenAI's openness to criticism distinguished it from other potential acquirers.
